Russell sits eighth in the F1 2023 drivers’ championship, 75 pꦛoཧints behind Hamilton with six rounds to go.

DNFs in Australia, Canada and Singapore have exacerbated the gap - although, Russell was to blame for f✤ail🔜ing to finish in the latter two. 

In terms of pure performance, Hamilton and Russell are one of the most evenly-matched teammate pairings on the grid, with the pair often separated b༒y less than a tenth.

Reflecting on the season, Russell acknowledged ther𝓡e has🥀 been “a lot of missed opportunities”.

“It’s just been a lo🎐t of missed opportunities and stuff we leaඣrned from,” Russell told .

“But in terms of pureℱ performance, I think I’m performing better than ever.

“I’m really happy wꦛith how I’ve been working with my team and have been delivering, and how I’m also bouncing back from some difficult races.”

Rus🐷sell’s performances alongside Hamilton has earned him a cont𓂃ract extension, keeping him with the team until the end of 2025.

𝓀“We don’t need a 10-year or five-year or three-year deal to show that commitment,” h🅷e added.

“It’s clear that we’re in this together. We spo𒊎ke about signing a contrac💜t for a much longer duration.”